Tag: agencies

PITTSBURGH, PA – NOVEMBER 04: John Podesta, campaign chairman for Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, looks on during a campaign rally at The Great Hall at Heinz Field on November 4, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

John Podesta, the former chairman for Hillary for America, was interviewed by Tech Crunch about the election, and specifically the hacking of his Gmail account and the emails of the Democratic National Committee shortly before the election in November. The emails from the DNC and Podesta were then posted on WikiLeaks. US intelligence agencies traced the hacking back to Russia, and the hack was one of the issues that plagued the Clinton campaign in the weeks leading up to the election.

In the interview, Podesta spoke about the hacking and the failure of the FBI to properly investigate. “I think to this day it’s inexplicable that they were so casual about the investigation of the Russian penetration of the DNC emails. They didn’t even bother to send an agent to the DNC; they left a couple of messages at the IT help desk saying, ‘You might want to be careful.’ There are at least forces within the FBI that wanted her to lose,” he said. Podesta also discusses the failures of the campaign and the rise of fake news. Read the full interview HERE. Follow Podesta on Twitter @johnpodesta.

Late last week, the intelligence community released their report following an investigation into the alleged influence of the 2016 election by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Intelligence agencies. The report is a declassified version of a much more detailed report which concluded that Putin “ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election.” It went on to say that Putin’s motives were to “denigrate” Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and that he had “a clear preference for President-elect Trump.” The report details the reasons Putin does not like Clinton and outlines the ways the Russian government influenced the election including the hacking of John Podesta and the DNC, leaks to WikiLeaks, and hacking the RNC. Read the full report below or download a PDF copy HERE.

Hillary for America Chair John Podesta released the following statement after the Wall Street Journal reported today that the Federal Bureau of Investigation believes Russian intelligence agencies are behind the illegal hack of his personal email account:

“It is now clear that the illegal hack of my personal email account was — just like the other recent, election-related hacks — the work of the Russian government. This level of meddling by a foreign power can only be aimed at boosting Donald Trump and should send chills down the spine of all Americans, regardless of political party. Despite receiving an intelligence briefing on the Russians’ role in masterminding these hacks, Donald Trump continues to side with the Russians by publicly denying their involvement and even cheering on further intrusions. Worst of all, the growing number of links between Trump’s associates, Wikileaks and the Russian government raises troubling questions about the possibility that Trump’s allies had advance knowledge of the release of these illegally obtained emails. I intend to continue cooperating with the FBI investigation of these illegal hacks, and expect that federal investigators will follow the evidence in this case whether it leads — from Moscow to, potentially, back here in the United States.”

In light of today’s campaign event in Pennsylvania with Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton released a statement affirming her support of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative. The initiative began following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address earlier this year. President Obama vowed to increase funding for cancer research and placed Biden in charge of the project. The overall goal is to create partnerships between public and private researchers and trials to find a cure for cancer. The matter is personal for Biden as he lost his son, Beau, to cancer last year. Today, Clinton vowed to continue the initiative as president and would continue to rely on Biden as it presses forward. A copy of Clinton’s statement is below.

“When Vice President Biden lost his beloved son, Beau, to cancer, he found strength in his sorrow. He resolved to do everything he could to ease others’ suffering and prevent other families from going through what he had.

Since the launch of the Cancer Moonshot initiative, Vice President Biden has spurred unprecedented cooperation between federal agencies and leaders in the private and nonprofit sectors. Together, they are creating new protocols to promote the sharing of research data, pushing for more enrollment in clinical trials, and providing new tools for patients. And all of this effort is taking advantage of the incredible strides we have made in recent years to grapple with this disease. We know more than we ever have about the biology of cancer, how to prevent it, and how to treat it. We need to do more to build on these developments, advance our understanding, and develop more effective treatments. Simply put, if we make the right investments today, we can save lives.

To start, Congress should fulfill the administration’s request for moonshot funding next year. Cancer does not discriminate, and I believe leaders of both parties can come together to tackle this disease as part of a comprehensive effort to improve medical research across diseases, both by restoring robust funding to the National Institutes of Health, including the National Cancer Institute, and by harnessing the power of the private sector. And we will continue to build on Vice President Biden’s work to mobilize the cancer community, make sure that scientists work together, and enable more patients to enroll in clinical trials. By combining new funding with creative approaches, we will not only catalyze progress against cancer: We will strengthen the nation’s entire scientific enterprise.

I could not be prouder to stand with Vice President Biden in this fight, and as President, I will take up the charge. My Administration will carry out the mission the Vice President has set, and continue to call on his advice, leadership, compassion, and sheer strength of will. Together, we will seize this moment. Together, we will make cancer as we know it a disease of the past.”